Rita had class to attend in the afternoon, so she took a cab back to the school.
In the classroom.
“Look, Alice, Rita’s here.” A girl gave a shove at the girl beside her and pointed at Rita as Rita limped
her way in.
Loathing filled the other girl when she hear Rita’s name. “What a bitch. She follows Oliver to wherever
he goes, and she’s married.”
The girl’s name was Alice Gibson and she had a crush on Oliver.
A perfect man like Oliver was way out of league of Rita. She’s just a cripple. Alice thought.
Such thoughts mad the bitterness in her grew.
The faction of hers got into an assault towards Rita.
“She’s so disgusting.”
“She should be expelled.”
The curse only got worse, but Rita tried to block them out.
She found an empty seat and tried to sit down. But as she tried to do so, somebody stopped her. “It’s
for my roommate.” It was the girl who was talking to Alice. “Find another seat.”
They just made up an excuse so Rita wouldn’t be sitting with them. Rita knew that.
Rita glanced over the classroom and found empty seats in the back of the classroom, so she moved
on.
But as she walked pass Alice, Alice stretched her left leg out and tripped Rita.
She fell hard. The pain made her scowl.
Alice took pleasure from Rita’s awkward look. She smiled joyfully, then said with phony concern. “Are
you alright, Rita? Let me help you.”
“No.” Rita looked at Alice with despise and strained to crawl up.
“Watch when you walk, Rita. you just stepped on me and my foot swells now.” Alice said grievously,
rubbing her foot.
What?
She stepped on her?
Bullshit!
The way Alice twisted the fact got Rita really mad.
Though she chose to swallow the pain, it didn't mean that she’s a pushover.
She patted away the dust on her clothes, sneered. “You asked for it.”
“What did you say?” Alice went off immediately, she stood up in a violent way.
But Rita was scared at all, she said evenly. “Your foot wouldn’t swell if you hadn’t tried to trip me.”
“Bullshit, I tried to trip you? Any audience?” Alice turned to her roommates, “You?”
“No,”
“Me neither.”
“You heard? Nobody saw! Don’t try to vilify me.” With her roommates to back her up, Alice acted
complacently. “You stepped on me!”
Queer eyes of others fixed on Rita.
For an instant, her reputation was even worse now.
“I never met anyone as shameless as her.”
“What good can you expect from a two-timer?”
Slurs surrounded Rita, each worse than the last.
Alice got all cocky with the crowd’s support.
She raised her foot in front of Rita, said provocatively. “Wipe it clean.”
“Wipe it clean.”
The crowd called out, urging Rita to wipe the shoe.
But Rita took no motion. Rudely, Alice put her foot on Rita’s belly and rubbed her shoe over Rita’s shirt.
“Seems like you don’t want to wipe my shoe, then I’ll just borrow your shirt to wipe it. I...ouch!”
Suddenly, Rita grabbed her ankle so forcibly that Alice shrieked. “What are you doing? Get off me!”
“Get off.”
Her yelling didn't make Rita relent.
The pain twisted Alice’s face.
“It hurts! Get off me, you bitch!”
“I don’t pay for other’s mistake. Since you want me to wipe your shoe so much, then…”Rita smiled, and
her hand grabbing Alice’s ankle jerked backward abruptly, “I have to soil it first.”
Rita let go of Alice’s ankle when they were about to hit each other and duck deftly aside. Alice,
however, gave Mother Earth a loving kiss.
The pain made Alice’s face pale, she sprawled on the ground face down.
Rita squat beside Alice and reached out a hand towards her, smiling. “Well, now…”
“What do you want to do, get away from me ,you’re insane!” Rita stripped her of her cockiness, now
she’s like a timid kitty.
Contrast to Alice, Rita was calm.
She smiled beautifully, “Wipe your shirt, what do you think I want to do? I soiled your shirt.”
“You…”anger and embarrassment filled Alice, “I don’t need you, fuck off!”
“You’re so weird. I didn't soil your shoe, you asked me to wipe it. But now I soil your cloth, you don’t
want me to.” Rita said sarcastically, fanning out her hands, and reached out a tissue to wipe her hand,
the one that touched Alice’s ankle before. “But it’s great, I’m obsessive of cleanliness and don’t wanna
touch dirty things anyway.”
Rita’s mockery was such barb to Alice, she clenched her teeth. “Who the fuck are you insinuating as
dirty?”
“Whoever responds.”Rita replied and showed no sign of anger.
And it was exactly her calmness that triggered Alice. A bomb was ticking inside her.
“Screw you.”Alice gritted her teeth angrily, “You know what is really dirty? A married woman who still
fools around with other man. What? Your husband can’t satisfy you so you cheat on him with others?”
The fury made her lose all her rationality. To fight back, she brought up the scandal.
Oliver had been dozing at his seat since the farce began, but when he heard Alice’s assault, he opened
his eyes. A layer of ice covered his eyes.
He moved.
Expressionlessly, he walked up to Alice, his eyes fixing on her.
His stare made Alice blush, hurriedly, she lowered her head. “Oliver, I wasn’t trying to offend you, I
believe you. Rita came on to you, right?”
That must be the truth.
Rita came on to Oliver.
“You look kind of pretty.” Oliver said evenly, Alice froze.
He was mad at her bringing up the scandal?
Her fear was soothed a little, she raised her head to look at Oliver but Oliver poured a bottle of cold
water over her head.
It was so sudden that Alice lost her breath for a second. Confused, she said, “Oliver?”
“But you got a foul mouth, it stinks, smells like shit. What a shame. You really need to wash your
mouth.”
Oliver said in a flat tone. Alice’s pupil dilated, her face pale.
That’s what Oliver think of her?
Meanwhile, Oliver glanced over the crowd coldly. “Get back to your fucking seats.”
Oliver had been a nice person to get along with, no one would’ve thought he would go off like this.
Intimidated, the crowd drifted back to their seats.
Oliver headed out the classroom when it finally fell quiet.
He kept looking straight forward, ignoring Rita. But when he walked pass Rita, he suddenly noticed that
her hands were excoriated.
He peered at her, then grabbed her arms and dragged her outside.
Rita was confused, “Where are you taking me?”
“The infirmary.”
“Why?”
“Are you steel? Your hands are hurt, don’t you feel?” Oliver looked at her, scowling.
It was then when Rita took note of her maimed hands. She smiled calmly. “It’s nothing, it’ll soon heal.”
Her leg was once fractured, and she made it. What’s this little excoriation compared with that?
However, Oliver ignored her and kept dragging her to the infirmary.
Looking at his sullen look, Rita sighed. She asked, “Still mad at me.”
“…”Oliver paused, but said nothing.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to do something you don’t want to do, forget the advertisement.
I’ll think of some better solution.” She had been thinking, and decided it was too selfish of her to do
something that they don’t want to.
But as she finished, Oliver halted his steps. “I accept.”
“What?” Rita looked at him, confused.”
“I accept your idea and will shoot the advertisement.”
Rita was shocked. What made him change his mind?
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